JP2000215180A - Data communication device, system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain the mutual communication between the mobile agents of the agent platforms of different types. SOLUTION: A computer M has a mutual communication object B0 which operates in the same operating environment as an agent platform P1, and the object B0 serves as a medium to transmit the data between the mobile objects of different agent platforms. Thus, it's possible to attain the mutual communication between the mobile agents of agent platforms of different types without remodeling these agent platforms in the computer M.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a data communication device,
The present invention relates to a data communication system and a data communication method, and more particularly, to a technique for performing data communication between agents.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The current mainstream distributed computer systems are client / server systems. As a software problem of the client / server type system, a procedure for executing a program is fixed at the time of program development, and therefore, a flexible and dynamic process cannot be performed in accordance with an operation / environmental condition of the system. It is pointed out. Therefore, in the field of distributed systems, CO
RBA (Common Object Request Broker Architecture)
And other distributed object-oriented technologies. CO
RBA stands for Object Request Broke (ORB), an OMG (Object Management Group), a non-profit standardization organization for distributed object-oriented technology, whose specifications have been established.
This is the standard specification of r).

[0003] The ORB is a software component that establishes a client / server relationship between objects and performs inter-object communication. Based on a client request, the ORB searches for an object corresponding to the request and causes the server to execute a search. Decide and communicate the request to the server. The server to which the request is transmitted by the ORB executes a service (a corresponding program) and returns a result to the ORB. The ORB then returns the result to the client. So the client only makes a request,
There is no need to be aware of which server has the object corresponding to the request.

[0004] Also, COR, which is a standard specification of this ORB, is used.
The BA summarizes how to set a distributed object that can be operated between different computers independent of an operating environment (hereinafter, this operating environment is referred to as a platform) such as a programming language and an OS. is there. For this reason, various programming languages use O
A system using RB can be developed.

Further, agent-oriented technology has attracted attention as a development of the above-mentioned distributed object-oriented technology. In particular, an agent in which data and programs are integrated on a network and processed on various servers. A technique called a mobile agent or a mobile agent that performs the task has attracted attention.

Agents in this agent-oriented technology are roughly classified into those having five characteristics of autonomy, coordination, reactivity, autonomy, and mobility. Autonomy is the ability of the agent to operate alone, coordination is the ability of agents to communicate with each other, and responsiveness is
Independence is the ability to act in response to external changes, independence means that the agent itself can carry out the purpose with its own purpose, and mobility means that the agent can move on the network, Further, it is possible to continue the execution at the transfer destination. The mobile agent is the above 5
Among these properties, it can be said that it has mobility in particular.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a simple outline of this mobile agent. In FIG. 12, computers 1 to 3 are connected by a network (not shown), and a platform P on which a mobile agent can operate (hereinafter, this platform is referred to as an agent platform) is constructed in each computer. A mobile agent is a type of computer program that can suspend its operation during execution of its own program, move between different computers while retaining the data at the time of interruption, and resume execution. The mobile agent autonomously moves on the network as needed, uses various resources on the network, and performs various processes while communicating with other mobile agents.

For example, based on a predetermined process, a mobile agent moves and processes between servers in a fixed order, and determines the next server to move according to the processing at the destination server. Such processing can be performed. Also, in a dial-up environment, unnecessary communication costs can be reduced by disconnecting the line after sending out the mobile agent from the client and calling the mobile agent again as soon as the processing at the destination is completed.

Many agent platforms for realizing such mobile agents have been proposed and invented. FIG. 13 shows an example of a hierarchical model of the operating environment of the agent platform. FIG.
, The agent platform is Java
It is written in a programming language called (Object-oriented interpreted language developed by Sun Microsystems). In addition, JavaVM (Java Virtual Machin
e) is an environment for interpreting and executing a program based on intermediate code generated by a Java compiler.

Next, a communication protocol in a conventional agent platform will be described. In the communication of the conventional mobile agent, communication between computers is realized by using a unique protocol corresponding to the agent platform. Examples of this protocol include a method (a routine provided in an object) and a Java RMI (Remote Method Invocation: Remote Procedure Invocation) capable of passing data such as variables and constants. Java RMI is a method for calling a method of a Java object distributed on a computer on a network by calling a Java object on a local computer.
It is a type of communication method in distributed object communication by Java that can be handled as if it were a method call of an object.

[0011]

Although various other protocols are applied to the agent platform, when a mobile agent communicates with another mobile agent, the mobile agent on the same type of agent platform is used. Can communicate only with That is, there is a problem that mobile agents in different agent platforms cannot communicate with each other due to different communication protocols. Also, even if the communication protocol is the same, the mounting method and the mounting method of the mobile agent differ for each agent platform, so that at present, mobile agents on different agent platforms cannot communicate with each other.

However, by modifying the agent platform itself, it is possible to perform communication between mobile agents on different types of agent platforms. However, since the implementation of the agent platform is complicated, and there are platforms that do not disclose the source code, it is extremely difficult for the user to modify the agent platform.

It is an object of the present invention to enable mobile agents to communicate with each other on a heterogeneous agent platform in order to solve the above problems.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
In a data communication apparatus having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents, receiving means for receiving transmission data from the agent, storage means for storing transmission data received by the receiving means, and storage means And a transfer means for transferring the transmission data stored by the agent to the agent, and communicating between the agents in the different operating environments via the mutual communication means.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in a data communication apparatus having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents, the data communication apparatus has an intercommunication means, and the intercommunication means is provided. Receiving means for receiving transmission data from the agent, storage means of the intercommunication means storing the transmission data received by the receiving means, and passing means of the intercommunication means storing the transmission data stored by the storage means in the storage means. In order to transfer the data to the agent, communication between the agents in the different operating environments is performed via the mutual communication means.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication apparatus having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents,
Storage means for storing transmission data, a step of receiving transmission data from the agent, a step of storing the received transmission data in the storage means, and passing the transmission data stored in the storage means to the agent And a data communication method.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication apparatus having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents, wherein the storage means stores transmission data, The transmission data is received from the agent, and the received transmission data is stored in the storage means, and then the stored transmission data is transferred to the agent.

Therefore, according to the first and seventh aspects of the present invention, even in a data communication apparatus having a different operating environment for operating an agent, the data operating apparatus can operate in the different operating environment without modifying the operating environment. Mutual communication between operating agents can be realized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device having different operating environments for operating an agent are connected to a network, wherein the transmitting device operates in an operating environment in the transmitting device. Receiving means for receiving transmission data from the agent operating above, transmitting-side storage means for storing transmission data received by the receiving means, and performing data communication with the receiving apparatus according to a predetermined communication method Transmitting means for transmitting transmission data stored in the transmitting-side storage means, and a transmitting-side intercommunication means comprising: Receiving means for receiving transmission data by performing data communication, and receiving side storage for storing the transmission data received by the receiving means. Means for receiving and transmitting means for transferring transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage means to an agent operating on an operating environment in the receiving apparatus, the receiving-side intercommunication means comprising: Communication between agents in different operating environments of the transmitting device and the receiving device is performed via the transmitting-side mutual communication unit and the receiving-side mutual communication unit.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device having different operating environments for operating agents are connected to a network, the transmitting device is a transmitting-side intercommunication means. Wherein the receiving means of the transmitting intercommunication means receives transmission data from an agent operating on the operating environment in the transmitting apparatus, and the transmitting storage means of the transmitting intercommunication means stores The received transmission data is stored, and the transmission unit of the transmission side mutual communication unit performs data communication with the receiving device according to a predetermined communication method, and transmits the transmission data stored in the transmission side storage unit. On the other hand, the receiving device includes receiving-side intercommunication means, and the receiving means of the receiving-side intercommunication means performs the communication according to the predetermined communication method The data communication is performed with the receiving device, the transmission data is received, and the receiving storage unit of the receiving mutual communication unit stores the transmission data received by the receiving unit, and is transferred to the receiving mutual communication unit. Means to an agent operating on an operating environment in the receiving device;
By passing the transmission data stored in the receiving side storage means, between the agents in different operating environments of the transmitting device and the receiving device via the transmitting side mutual communication means and the receiving side mutual communication means. Communication.

[0021] The invention according to claim 8 is a data communication method in a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device, which have different operating environments for operating agents, are connected to a network. A transmission side storage unit for storing transmission data, the reception apparatus includes a reception side storage unit for storing transmission data received from the transmission apparatus, and the transmission apparatus operates on an operating environment in the transmission apparatus. A step of receiving transmission data from an operating agent; a step of storing the received transmission data in the transmission-side storage means; and a step of the transmission apparatus communicating with the reception apparatus in accordance with a predetermined communication method. Transmitting the transmission data stored in the transmission-side storage means by performing data communication between the transmission-side storage means; Performing data communication with the transmitting device in accordance with the communication method of (i) and receiving transmission data; (ii) the receiving device storing the received transmission data in the receiving-side storage means; Transferring the transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage means to an agent operating on an operating environment in the receiving device.

According to the invention described in claim 8, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device, which have different operating environments for operating agents, are connected to a network. The transmission side storage means stores transmission data, the reception side storage means of the reception device stores transmission data received from the transmission device, and the transmission device operates on an operating environment in the transmission device. The transmission data is received from the agent performing the communication, the received transmission data is stored in the transmission-side storage unit, and data communication is performed with the reception device according to a predetermined communication method. When transmitting the stored transmission data, the receiving device performs data communication with the transmitting device according to the predetermined communication method. Receives the transmission data, after the transmission data the received has been stored on the receiving storage means,
The transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage unit is transferred to an agent operating on an operating environment in the receiving device.

Therefore, according to the second and eighth aspects of the present invention, even if the transmitting device and the receiving device have different operating environments for operating the agent, the transmitting device and the receiving device can communicate with each other without modifying the operating environment. Data communication can be realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices having different operating environments for operating agents are connected to a network, the data communication device includes: A receiving unit for receiving transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment, a transmission-side storage unit for storing transmission data received by the receiving unit, and another data communication device according to a predetermined communication method. A transmission means for performing data communication and transmitting transmission data stored in the transmission side storage means; and a data communication between another data communication apparatus according to the predetermined communication method. Receiving means for performing communication and receiving transmission data; and receiving means for storing the transmission data received by the receiving means. Receiving means for transmitting and receiving transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage means to an agent operating on the operating environment; Communication between agents in different operating environments of the plurality of data communication devices is performed via the side mutual communication means and the receiving side mutual communication means.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in a data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices, each having a different operating environment for operating an agent, are connected to a network, the data communication device is a communication device on a transmitting side. Means and receiving-side intercommunication means, the receiving means of the transmitting-side intercommunication means receiving transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment in the data communication device, and transmitting the transmission data by the transmitting-side intercommunication means. The side storage means stores the transmission data received by the receiving means, and the transmitting means of the transmitting-side intercommunication means performs data communication with another data communication apparatus according to a predetermined communication method, and performs the transmission. The transmission data stored in the side storage means is transmitted, while the reception means of the reception side mutual communication means transmits the other data in accordance with the predetermined communication method. Data communication is performed with the data communication device to receive the transmission data, and the receiving storage means of the receiving mutual communication means stores the transmission data received by the receiving means, and the receiving mutual communication means. Passing the transmission data stored in the receiving side storage means to the agent operating on the operating environment, through the transmitting side intercommunication means and the receiving side intercommunication means. And perform communication between agents in different operating environments of the plurality of data communication devices.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices each having a different operating environment for operating an agent are connected to a network. The communication devices each include a transmission-side storage unit that stores transmission data and a reception-side storage unit that stores transmission data received from another data communication device, and one of the plurality of data communication devices. A step in which the communication device receives transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment in the data communication device; and a step in which the one data communication device stores the received transmission data in the transmission-side storage unit. And, the one data communication device performs data communication with another data communication device according to a predetermined communication method, And transmitting the transmission data stored in the serial transmission side storage unit, the other data communication apparatus,
Performing data communication with the one data communication device according to the predetermined communication method, and receiving transmission data; and the other data communication device stores the received transmission data in the reception side storage unit. And storing the transmission data stored in the reception-side storage unit to the agent operating in the operating environment.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data communication method in a data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices each having a different operating environment for operating an agent are connected to a network. The means stores transmission data, and the receiving side storage means comprises:
Storing transmission data received from another data communication device,
One of the plurality of data communication devices receives transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment in the data communication device, and the one data communication device transmits the received transmission data. Data is stored in the transmission side storage means, and the one data communication apparatus performs data communication with another data communication apparatus according to a predetermined communication method, and stores the transmission data stored in the transmission side storage means. When transmitting, the other data communication device performs data communication with the one data communication device according to the predetermined communication method, receives transmission data, and the other data communication device, The received transmission data is stored in the receiving side storage means, and the other data communication device is
The transmission data stored in the receiving side storage unit is transferred to an agent operating on the operating environment.

Therefore, according to the third and ninth aspects of the present invention, even between data communication apparatuses having different operating environments for operating the agent, the agent can be bidirectionally changed without modifying the operating environment. Data communication between them can be realized.

In the data communication system according to the second or third aspect, the predetermined communication method may be configured as socket communication.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the second or third aspect of the present invention, a data communication system can be easily realized by using the socket communication conventionally used. And the present invention can be easily applied to a data communication system that has been conventionally used.

Further, as in the invention according to claim 5, in the data communication system according to claim 2 or 3, the predetermined communication method may be a communication method using an ORB.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the second or third aspect, for example, CORB
A-compliant ORB (a commercially available product is Orona of IONA
By using (bix), CORBA does not depend on a programming language, so that an operating environment, an agent, and an object for intercommunication for realizing an intercommunication means are not limited to a certain programming language such as Java language. It can be created in multiple programming languages.

In the data communication system according to claim 2 or 3, the predetermined communication method may be configured as distributed object communication.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 2 or 3, the object can be directly transferred between different types of agents.
It becomes possible to realize efficient data communication flexibly corresponding to the operating environment.

[0035]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the mobile agent and the object are actually a kind of computer program, and are executed by the CPU in the computer in each embodiment. However, each mobile agent and the object are independent programs and are executed in parallel. It is executed and works in conjunction with each other. Therefore, although the operation is actually performed by the CPU executing the mobile agent or the object, in order to avoid confusion and facilitate understanding, each mobile agent and the object independently perform the operation. A description will be given assuming that processing is performed.

(First Embodiment) FIGS. 1 to 4 show a computer M according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

First, the configuration will be described. The computer M includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Rando
mAccess Memory), a storage device, an input device, a computer including a display device, according to a communication process described later,
The communication between mobile agents on a heterogeneous agent platform in the computer M is performed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration relating to communication processing. In FIG. 1, agent platforms P1 and P2 and an object B0 for mutual communication are provided.
Is an OS such as UNIX and the OS, such as a hierarchical model of a software operating environment related to communication processing shown in FIG.
It runs on JavaVM running on it. Also,
The agent platforms P1 and P2, the object for mutual communication B0, the OS, and the JavaVM are stored together with the agents A1 and A2 in a storage medium (not shown) in a storage device. Then, at the same time when the computer M is started, the OS
Is read by the CPU, and then JavaVM,
Each of the agent platforms P1 and P2 and the mutual communication object B0 is read from the storage medium by the CPU and executed. Further, by further reading and executing the agents A1 and A2,
Communication processing is performed.

In FIG. 1, agents A1,
A2 is the agent platform P1,
A mobile agent running on P2, both of which are Java
This is a program written in the a language. The object for intercommunication B0 is an agent platform P1,
It is a program written in Java language like P2 and agents A1 and A2.

In FIG. 1, an agent A1 transmits and receives transmission data Dn (see FIG. 1) between an intercommunication object B0 and an agent A2, and finally transmits an agent. Communication between A1 and A2 is realized. This process is a communication process.

Here, the object B0 for mutual communication is
This bridges the communication between the agent A1 and the agent A2. As shown in the schematic diagram of the mutual communication object B0 shown in FIG. 3, the variable D0 and the method Me
1 and a method Me2. The variable D0 is a variable for storing transmission data Dn such as a character string or an object, and the method Me1 is for the called agent A1.
Alternatively, transmission data Dn received as an argument from A2 is stored in a variable D0, and there is no return value. The method Me2 has no argument, and returns the value of the variable D0 to the called agent A1 or A2 upon being called at the same time as being called. Method passed as

In the agents A1 and A2, processes for calling the methods Me1 and Me2 of the object B0 for mutual communication are incorporated in their respective programs in advance.
1. There is no direct communication including transmission and reception of data between the agents A1 and A2 operating on P2.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of a communication process when data is transmitted from the agent A1 to the agent A2.

First, the agent A1 calls the method Me1 of the intercommunication object B0 (step S1), and sends transmission data Dn as an argument to the intercommunication object B0 (step S2). Then, the mutual communication object B0 substitutes the transmitted transmission data Dn for the variable D0 (step S3).

Next, the agent A2 calls the method Me2 of the intercommunication object B0 (step S4), and reads the variable D0 from the intercommunication object B0.
Receive the transmission data Dn stored in the
5).

By performing the above communication processing, communication between the agent A1 and the agent A2 on different agent platforms becomes possible. Further, the communication processing when transmitting data from the agent A2 to the agent A1 can be realized by exchanging the operations of the agent A1 and the agent A2 in steps S1 to S5.

As described above, the computer M includes the intercommunication object operating in the same operating environment as the agent platform, and the intercommunication object mediates transmission data between mobile agents on different agent platforms. Therefore, it is possible to realize mutual communication between mobile agents on different types of agent platforms without modifying the agent platform within a single computer.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a computer system 1 according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
00 will be described.

FIGS. 5 to 9 show a computer system 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The computer system 100 according to the second embodiment uses the computer M according to the first embodiment to transmit data between mobile agents on heterogeneous agent platforms performed in the same computer M.
Using conventional socket communication, different computers M1, M2
It is a system realized between. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the computer system 100 will be described focusing on communication processing related to the data transmission.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the computer system 100 related to the communication processing. The computer system 100 includes a computer M1 and a computer M2 connected to the computer M1 via a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The same components and functions as those of the computer M according to the first embodiment are the same. The same reference numerals are given and the description is omitted below.

In FIG. 5, the agent platforms P1 and P2, the agents A1 and A2, and the objects for communication Bc and Bs are all programs made in the Java language, and the computer M1 has the agent platform P1 and the agent A1. And an object Bc for mutual communication are operated and executed, and an agent platform P2, an agent A2, and an object Bs for mutual communication are operated and executed in the computer M2. The agent platforms P1 and P2 and the objects Bc and Bs for mutual communication
Is an OS such as UNIX and J running on the OS in each of the computers M1 and M2, like a hierarchical model of a software operating environment related to communication processing shown in FIG.
Operates on avaVM.

In FIG. 5, the object B for mutual communication
c and Bs represent a client / server relationship for data transmission / reception related to the communication processing. When the agent A1 sends the transmission data Dn and the destination host name H to the mutual communication object Bc, the mutual communication object Bc specifies the communication destination computer, and transmits the transmission data Dn to the mutual communication object Bs on the computer. Then, the mutual communication object Bs that has received the transmission data Dn
Transfers the transmission data Dn to the agent A2. This process is a communication process.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of the mutual communication object Bc. In FIG. 7, the intercommunication object Bc includes a variable D0, a method Me1 ', and a method Me3. The variable D0 is a variable that stores transmission data Dn such as a character string or an object. The method Me1 ′ receives the host name H of the data transmission destination and the transmission data Dn from the agent A1 as arguments, and stores the transmission data Dn in the variable D0. Is a method having no return value, and the method Me3 is an object B for mutual communication.
This is a method for performing socket communication with s.

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of the mutual communication object Bs. In FIG. 8, the mutual communication object Bs includes a variable D0 ', a method Me2, and a method Me4. The variable D0 'is a variable that stores the transmission data Dn, the method Me2 is a method that is called without an argument, and at the same time, uses the value of the variable D0' as a return value. The method Me4 is a method that communicates with the object Bc for mutual communication. This is a method for performing socket communication.

The agent A1 has a method M in the intercommunication object Bc in the program in advance.
A process for calling e1 'and the method Me3 is incorporated, and the agent A2 similarly stores the method M in the intercommunication object Bs in the program in advance.
Processing for calling e2 and method Me4 is incorporated. Therefore, data is not directly transmitted and received between agents A1 and A2 operating on different agent platforms P1 and P2 on different computers.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of a communication process when data is transmitted from the agent A1 to the agent A2 in the computer system 100.

First, the agent A2 calls the method Me4 in the object Bs for mutual communication (step S11). As a result, the mutual communication object Bs enters a state of waiting for data reception. Next, the agent A1 executes the method Me in the mutual communication object Bc.
1 'is called (step S12), and the host name H and the transmission data Dn of the computer 2 as the data transmission destination are transmitted to the mutual communication object Bc as arguments (step S12).
13). Then, the mutual communication object Bc substitutes the transmitted transmission data Dn for the variable D0 (Step S).
14).

Next, the agent A1 calls the method Me3 in the mutual communication object Bc (step S15). As a result, the object B for mutual communication
c, by referring to the host name H, recognizes the computer 2 which is the host of the data transmission destination, and uses the socket communication between the computer 2 and the mutual communication object Bs in a data reception waiting state. A state in which communication is possible is established (step S16). And the object Bc for mutual communication
Transmits the transmission data Dn assigned to the variable D0 to the mutual communication object Bs on the computer 2 of the data transmission destination (step S17).

Next, the object Bs for mutual communication is
The received transmission data Dn is substituted for a variable D0 '(step S18). Then, the agent A2 calls the method Me2 in the mutual communication object Bs (step S19), and from the method Me2, the variable D0 '
Is received (step S2).
0).

By performing the above communication processing, data transmission between agents A1 and A2 on different agent platforms of different computers becomes possible.
When data is transmitted from the agent A2 to the agent A1, the object Bc for communication between the computer M1 and the object Bs for communication between the computer M2 in FIG. 5 are configured to be exchanged. This can be realized by exchanging the operations of the agent A1 and the agent A2 in S20.

As described above, the computer system 10
The 0 computer M1 and the computer M2 are configured to include different agent platforms, a mobile agent operating on the agent platform, and an object for performing socket communication with each other. The agent A1 which is a mobile agent on the computer M1 sends data to an intercommunication object Bc which is an object for socket communication, and the intercommunication object Bc is an intercommunication object which is an object for socket communication of the computer M2. Data to the object for communication Bs and the object for communication Bs
Delivers data to the agent A2 which is a mobile agent on the computer M2. Therefore, even if the agent platform differs depending on the computer, it is possible to realize data transmission between mobile agents on different agent platforms without modifying the agent platform.

In this embodiment, the one-to-one data transmission from the computer 1 to the computer 2 has been described. However, the computer system 100 is constituted by a plurality of computers having the method Me1 ', and the host name H is used as the computer name. By setting 2, it is possible to realize many-to-one data transmission.

(Third Embodiment) Next, a computer system 1 according to a third embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
00 will be described.

FIGS. 10 to 11 show a third embodiment to which the present invention is applied.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a computer system 100 according to the embodiment.

The computer system 100 according to the third embodiment includes the computers M1 and M according to the second embodiment.
2 is a configuration in which each of the computers M1 and M2 is provided with the objects Bc and Bs for mutual communication in the second embodiment, and the data transmission in the second embodiment is performed by the computers M1 and Ms
The two can be performed simultaneously. The communication process at this time will be described in detail below.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of the computer system 100 related to the communication processing. The computer system 100 has a second
And a computer M2 connected to the computer M1 by a network such as the Internet or an intranet.
The same components as those of the computer system 100 according to the present embodiment have the same reference characters allotted, and description thereof will not be repeated.

In FIG. 10, the objects for communication Bc1, Bc2, Bs1, Bs2 are programs made in the Java language, and the computer M1 has an agent platform P1, an agent A1, and objects for communication Bc1, Bs1. Are operated and executed. In the computer M2, an agent platform P2, an agent A2, and objects BC2 and Bs2 for mutual communication are operated and executed.

The objects Bc1 and Bc for mutual communication
c2 is the object B for mutual communication according to the second embodiment.
Similarly to c, the method includes a variable D0, a method Me1 ', and a method Me3. The method Me1' receives the host name H of the data transmission destination and the transmission data Dn as arguments from the agent A1 or the agent A2, and transmits the transmission data Dn Is assigned to the variable D0, and there is no return value. The method Me3 is an object Bs1 for mutual communication.
Alternatively, it is a method for performing socket communication with the intercommunication object Bs2.

The objects Bs1, B for mutual communication
s2 is the object B for mutual communication according to the second embodiment.
Similarly to s, it includes a variable D0 ', a method Me2, and a method Me4. The variable D0 'is a variable that stores the transmission data Dn, the method Me2 is a method that is called without an argument and uses the value of the variable D0' as a return value, and the method Me4 is the object Bc1 for mutual communication or This is a method for performing socket communication with the mutual communication object Bc2.

The agent A1 incorporates, in advance, a process of calling a method Me1 'and a method Me3 of the intercommunication object Bc1 in a program and a process of calling a method Me2 and a method Me4 of the intercommunication object Bs1. Have been. Similarly, the agent A2 is provided with a method Me1 included in the mutual communication object Bc2 in the program in advance.
'And the method of calling the method Me3, the method Me2 and the method Me included in the object Bs2 for mutual communication.
4 is incorporated. Therefore, different agent platforms P on different computers
1. There is no direct data communication between the agents A1 and A2 operating on P2.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a communication process related to data communication performed between the agent A1 and the agent A2 in the computer system 100.

First, the agent A1 calls the method Me4 of the mutual communication object Bs1 (step S31). This allows the mutual communication object Bs1
Are in a state of waiting for data reception. Next, Agent A
2 calls the method Me4 of the mutual communication object Bs2 (step S32). As a result, the mutual communication object Bs2 enters a state of waiting for data reception.

Next, when data transmission is performed from the agent A1 to the agent A2 (step S3).
3), agent A1 is an object Bc for mutual communication
1 (Step S3)
4), as an argument to the mutual communication object Bc1,
The host name H of the computer 2 that is the data transmission destination and the transmission data Dn are sent (step S35). Then, the mutual communication object Bc1 stores the transmitted transmission data Dn in a variable D.
Substituted into 0 (step S36).

Next, the agent A1 calls the method Me3 in the mutual communication object Bc1 (step S37). As a result, the mutual communication object Bc1 recognizes the computer 2 which is the data transmission destination host with reference to the host name H, and uses the socket communication to communicate with the computer 2 waiting for data reception on the computer 2 concerned. A state in which communication with the communication object Bs2 can be established is established (step S38). Then, the mutual communication object Bc1 is stored in the transmission data Dn substituted for the variable D0 in the mutual communication object Bs2 on the computer 2 of the data transmission destination.
Is transmitted (step S39).

Next, the mutual communication object Bs2
Substitutes the received transmission data Dn for a variable D0 '(step S40). Then, the agent A2 calls the method Me2 in the mutual communication object Bs2 (step S41), and receives the transmission data Dn assigned to the variable D0 'from the method Me2 (step S42).

If the data is transmitted from the agent A2 to the agent A1 in step S33 (step S33), the agent A2 calls the method Me1 'of the intercommunication object Bc2 (step S43), and Communication object B
The host name H and the transmission data Dn of the computer 1 which is the data transmission destination are sent to c2 as arguments (step S44).
Then, the mutual communication object Bc2 substitutes the transmitted transmission data Dn for the variable D0 (step S4).
5).

Next, the agent A2 calls the method Me3 in the intercommunication object Bc2 (step S46). As a result, the mutual communication object Bc2 recognizes the computer 1 that is the data transmission destination host with reference to the host name H, and uses the socket communication to communicate with the computer 1 that is waiting for data reception on the computer 1. A state in which communication with the communication object Bs1 can be established is established (step S47). Then, the mutual communication object Bc2 is the transmission data Dn substituted for the variable D0 in the mutual communication object Bs1 on the data transmission destination computer 1.
Is transmitted (step S48).

Next, the mutual communication object Bs1
Substitutes the received transmission data Dn for a variable D0 '(step S49). Then, the agent A1 calls the method Me2 in the intercommunication object Bs1 (step S50), and receives the transmission data Dn assigned to the variable D0 'from the method Me2 (step S51).

As described above, the computer system 10
The computer M1 and the computer M2 each have objects Bc and Bs for mutual communication as objects for performing socket communication with each other.
1 and A2 perform data communication through the mutual communication objects Bc and Bs. Therefore, even if different agent platforms of different computers are used, the agent platform can be modified between the agent A1 and the agent A2 without modifying the agent platform. , Bidirectional data communication can be realized.

In the present embodiment, the one-to-one data transmission from the computer 1 to the computer 2 and from the computer 2 to the computer 1 has been described.
It is possible to realize many-to-one data transmission by setting 0 as a configuration of a plurality of computers and using the host name H as the computer of the same data transmission destination.

Further, the data communication between the mutual communication object Bc1 or Bc2 and the mutual communication object Bs1 or Bs2 may be realized by using the ORB described in the prior art instead of the socket communication.
In this case, the objects for mutual communication Bc1, Bc
2, Bs1 and Bs2 need to be made according to the ORB to be used, and the computers M1 and M2 need to be configured to further include the ORB. However, for example, a CORBA-compliant ORB (a commercially available product such as IONA
By using Orbix, Inc., CORBA is independent of the programming language, so that agent platforms, mobile agents, and intercommunication objects can be created in multiple programming languages without being limited to the Java language, and The same operation as the above communication processing can be performed.

Further, instead of the ORB, a distributed object communication capable of passing objects including methods, variables, and constants (a commercially available product is JavaRM
It may be realized by using I). In this case, the objects Bc1, Bc2, Bs1,
Bs2 needs to be created according to the distributed object communication to be used. However, since objects can be directly transferred between different types of mobile agents, it is possible to flexibly cope with an operating environment and realize efficient data communication.

[0084]

According to the first and seventh aspects of the present invention, even if the data communication device has a different operating environment for operating the agent, the different operation can be performed without modifying the operating environment. Mutual communication between agents operating in the environment can be realized.

According to the second and eighth aspects of the present invention, even if the transmitting device and the receiving device have different operating environments for operating the agent, the transmitting device and the receiving device can communicate with each other without modifying the operating environment. Data communication can be realized.

According to the third and ninth aspects of the present invention, even between data communication apparatuses having different operating environments for operating the agent, the agent can be bidirectionally changed without modifying the operating environment. Data communication between them can be realized.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the second or third aspect of the present invention, a data communication system can be easily realized by using a socket communication which has been conventionally used. It becomes possible and can be easily applied to a data communication system that has been conventionally used.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the second or third aspect of the invention, for example, a CORBA-compliant ORB (a commercially available product such as Orbi of IONA)
By using x), since CORBA does not depend on a programming language, the operating environment, agents, and objects for intercommunication for realizing intercommunication means are not limited to a certain programming language such as Java language. It can be created in multiple programming languages.

According to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claim 2 or 3, objects can be directly transferred between different types of agents, so that the operation environment can be flexibly supported. It is possible to realize efficient data communication.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration related to a communication process of a computer M according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hierarchical model of a software operating environment relating to communication processing of a computer M according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of an intercommunication object B0 of FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 shows a computer M according to the first embodiment.
9 is a flowchart showing an operation of a communication process when data is transmitted from the agent A1 to the agent A2.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration related to communication processing of a computer system 100 according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a hierarchical model of a software operating environment relating to communication processing of a computer system according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram of an intercommunication object Bc of FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of an intercommunication object Bs in FIGS. 5 and 6;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of communication processing when data is transmitted from the agent A1 to the agent A2 in the computer system 100 according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration related to communication processing of a computer system according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an operation of communication processing related to data communication performed between an agent A1 and an agent A2 in the computer system 100 according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an outline of a conventional mobile agent.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a hierarchical model of an operating environment in a conventional agent platform.

[Explanation of symbols]

M, M1, M2 Computer 100 Computer system P1, P2 Agent platform A1, A2 Agent B0, Bc, Bs Intercommunication object D0, D0 'Variable Me1, Me1', Me2, Me3, Me4 Method Dn Transmission data H Host name

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A data communication apparatus having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents, receiving means for receiving transmission data from the agent, and storage means for storing the transmission data received by the receiving means. And a transfer means for transferring the transmission data stored by the storage means to the agent, and performing communication between the agents in the different operating environments via the mutual communication means. A data communication device characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. In a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device that are different in operating environments for operating agents are connected to a network, the transmitting device operates on an operating environment in the transmitting device. Receiving means for receiving transmission data from an agent, transmission-side storage means for storing transmission data received by the reception means, and performing data communication with the receiving apparatus in accordance with a predetermined communication method; Transmitting means for transmitting transmission data stored in the means, comprising: a transmitting side intercommunication means, comprising: the receiving apparatus performs data communication with the transmitting apparatus according to the predetermined communication method, Receiving means for receiving transmission data; receiving-side storage means for storing transmission data received by the receiving means; Receiving means for transmitting and receiving the transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage means to an agent operating on an operating environment in the apparatus, A data communication system for performing communication between agents in different operating environments of the transmitting device and the receiving device via the inter-communication means with the receiving side. 3. A data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices each having a different operating environment for operating an agent are connected to a network, wherein the data communication device operates on an operating environment in the data communication device. Receiving means for receiving transmission data from the agent, transmitting-side storage means for storing transmission data received by the receiving means, and performing data communication with another data communication device according to a predetermined communication method, A transmitting unit for transmitting transmission data stored in the transmitting side storage unit; and a transmitting side intercommunicating unit including: a transmitting unit that performs data communication with another data communication apparatus according to the predetermined communication method, and transmits the data. Receiving means for receiving data; receiving-side storage means for storing transmission data received by the receiving means; Receiving means for transmitting and receiving the transmission data stored in the receiving side storage means to an agent operating on the environment; and receiving side intercommunication means comprising: A data communication system, wherein communication between agents in different operating environments of the plurality of data communication devices is performed via a receiving side mutual communication unit. 4. The data communication system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined communication method is socket communication. 5. The data communication system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined communication method is a communication method using an ORB. 6. The data communication system according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined communication method is distributed object communication. 7. A data communication method in a data communication device having a plurality of different operating environments for operating a plurality of agents, comprising: a storage unit for storing transmission data; and receiving transmission data from the agent. A data communication method, comprising: storing the received transmission data in the storage unit; and transferring the transmission data stored in the storage unit to the agent. 8. A data communication method in a data communication system in which a transmitting device and a receiving device, which have different operating environments for operating agents, are connected to a network, wherein the transmitting device stores transmission data. Storage means, the reception apparatus comprises reception-side storage means for storing transmission data received from the transmission apparatus, and the transmission apparatus transmits transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment in the transmission apparatus. Receiving, and the transmitting device, the step of storing the received transmission data in the transmitting side storage means, the transmitting device performs data communication with the receiving device according to a predetermined communication method, Transmitting the transmission data stored in the transmission-side storage unit; and the receiving device performs the transmission according to the predetermined communication method. Performing data communication with a receiving device to receive transmission data; the receiving device storing the received transmission data in the receiving storage means; and Transferring the transmission data stored in the receiving-side storage means to an agent operating on the operating environment in the data communication method. 9. A data communication method in a data communication system in which a plurality of data communication devices having different operating environments for operating agents are connected to a network, wherein the plurality of data communication devices each include transmission data. And a receiving-side storage unit for storing transmission data received from another data communication device, wherein one of the plurality of data communication devices is the data communication device. Receiving transmission data from an agent operating on an operating environment in the server; the one data communication device storing the received transmission data in the transmission-side storage unit; and the one data communication device. Performs data communication with another data communication device according to a predetermined communication method, and stores the data in the transmission side storage means. Transmitting the transmitted transmission data, the other data communication device performing data communication with the one data communication device according to the predetermined communication method, and receiving the transmission data; and Storing the received transmission data in the receiving side storage means, and storing the received data in the receiving side storage means in an agent operating on the operating environment. A step of delivering the transmitted transmission data.